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After a six-week hiatus after more than 50 Democrats fled to Washington, DC to prevent the passage of a controversial electoral reform bill, the US state house formed a quorum on Thursday.
Texas lawmakers restored a quorum after 99 lawmakers voted 99-0 to resume business in the state lower chamber. Another 49 lawmakers were reported absent, the Texas Tribune initially reported.
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Republicans can now pass a number of bills that the Democrats challenged after Democratic MP Leo Pacheco resigned Thursday – allowing for the 100-member requirement required to reach a quorum in order to be on a threshold of 99 members to decline.
Pacheco was one of a handful of Democrats who did not travel to DC in protest during Governor Greg Abbott’s first special session.
At least 57 Democrats flew to Washington to campaign for the passage of federal electoral reform laws such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Suffrage activists and Democrats believe that federal electoral reform would prevent states from implementing restrictive electoral measures that they believe target minority communities. Republicans have argued that the laws would serve to secure the electoral process.
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Although the majority of the party’s 67 Democrats have not returned to Austin, Houston MPs Garnet Coleman, Ana Hernandez and Armando Walle released a joint statement outlining their decision to return to the state legislature.
“Our efforts were successful and served as the primary catalyst in getting Congress to take action on the federal voter protection law,” the statement said. “Now we are continuing the fight at the house level.”
The trio of lawmakers pointed to the rising number of coronavirus cases as the main reason for returning to the Texan capital.
While GOP House Speaker Dade Phelan advocated a return to the lower chamber by telling lawmakers, “It’s time to get back to the business of the Texas people,” House Democrats were out of the lawmakers frustrated by Houston.
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State MP Ron Reynolds, who has become a leading figure in the fight for electoral reform in the Texas Democrats, said he was “extremely disappointed” with his colleagues.
“I will continue to be in DC to encourage Congress to pass the HR4 John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act next week,” he told Fox News.
“The majority of our Democratic caucus will not return to the House for the remainder of the repression session,” he added, referring to the second special session Abbott launched earlier this month.
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